Dehydrator for nuts and the like



April 14, 1925.

' I F. C. CHAPMAN DEHYDRATOR Fon NUTS AND THE LIKE Filed April '2. 1924 3 sheets-sheet 1 INVIA/70k Frazzk C: Chapman frR/Vfy April 14, 192s. 1,533,388

F. C. CHAPMAN DEHYDRATOR Foa NUTS mn THE LIKE Filed April 7. 1924 v 3 sheets-sheet z /N VEA/TOR Frank C. Ch gomma Q g .um

April 14, 192s. 1,533,388

F. C. CHAPMAN DEHYDRATOR FOR NUTS AND THE LIKE Filed April '7. 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z4-'1 ank C. Ch apmanr @y .@.Mbm

ATTIP/VEY Patented Apr. 14, 419.25.

STATES FRANK C. CHAPMAN, 0F MODESTO, CALIFORNIA.

y DEHYDRATOR FOR NUTS AND THE LIKE Application iled.I April -7,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it Vknown that I, FRANK C: CHA-remit, a citizen ofi the United States, residing at Modesto, county of Stanislaus, Stat-ect Galifo'rnia, have inventedA certain new and useful Improvements in'Dehydrators for Nuts andthe like; and. I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot' the same, reference being had to the aceomf panying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in dehydrators, andparticularly to a type especially designed to dry nuts andotherl products such as beans, corn, half dry prunes, quarteredV apples and the like, cocoa beans, sand, rock, ore, etc.4

' The principal object of my, invention is to construct the-.dehydrator in such a manner that lthe stuff being dried is carried in a number of vertical bins all disposed'in a common horizontalplane and separated by air passages, and'arranging for the drying air to pas-s through the passagesandbins iu any one .of a variety, of directions `as may be desired by the operator.

The advantages of this arrangement are many. In they first place, a complete circulation of air through the produce being dried is had especially as the direction oft' flew ot the airanayy be changed or reversed at any time at the will of the operator.

In the second place, the produce being in verticalv bins insteadof the usual horizontal trays,- the produce may move from the upper to the lower ends of thebins (whichare the drying chambers) by gravity,`doing away with hand labor or power'means tor ad vancing theV produce. y

'With thistype of dehydratorV the article to be dried enters at the cool end or top into air of 10W temperature and great humidity. This condition is caused by the temperature of the air fallingas itpassesthrough the articles being dried, the moisture which is taken out from the latter goinginto thejair, which of course gains inhumidity.

`The results are that low'temperature andv high humidity of the air are ootained both at top and bottonrof the drying chambers. At the same' time high temperature and low humidity ot theair". is had at the center, where the air from the pressurefan;enters the dryingichamber. It is, apparent, how citer, th'atthe article at the centerfpart oty 1924. Serial No. 704,688.

the dehydrator can standr ainnch higher temperature without danger than atthejincome end or the discharge endi` the precincts in that zonebeing already` half dried.

It hot dry air comes in contact with. the article being dried and all ofthe. moisture has been removed it will burn. With my apparatus, however, low. temperature and high humidity of the air is had at the iinishing end, aspreviously stated, andno `darnage can be done.

Another object of my inventionisteprovide a common conveyor for each setiof bins to carry away thedried nuts astheyvmove to the bottoni of the bins, and to provide tor a stream of cool airA to pass over the dried and hea-ted product as it lieson the conveyor, thereby cooling.n the` same..

This cool air will not reduce the efficiency of the drying' process, since when` the produce is on the conveyor it is clearofthe drying' chambers or bins.

The hot or drying air iowl isser` passed into the drying binsin which the produce, is located that the latter will be; quiclsly `and efficiently dried without t-hedangerwot any ot' the produce being unduly dried out or burned during thedrying process.

The particular manner in which these and other objects are attained will be inorezffully seen in the description following, taken-` in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a dehydrator constructed according to `my invention.

On the drawings similar Characters offreference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. l. is sectional plan oi?` the dehy# drator.

Fig. 2 is ay typicalcross secticnof the apparatus.

Fig'. 3. is ay longitudinal elevation. taken through different transverse pla-nes, as on the line 3-3 ot Fig. l.

Fig. et is a detached view eta. pair ot hin gates and a control means therefor.

Referring now more particularly. to the. characters of reference marked on the` drawings, thevnumeral l denotes the outer side walls and 2 the end walls ci' the dehydrator, supporting a suitable roong. Inwardly oit the side walls l andparallelthereto are.-

inner walls 4, extending'the full length and height of the walls 1,; and enclosing with' said walls andthe/end 'wz'rlis 2 air. iuesi Gentral'ly of the dehydfiator between said;

vwalls 4 and extending the full length and therebetween, which howeif'er, is blocked olf at 'a point a. little more than half way up from said walls 6, as shown in Fig. 2. This air flue 7 connects throughout its length with a hot air pit 8 below the walls 6, which pit in turn communicates with a tunnel 9 leading from the discharge of a pressure fan 10. The intake of the fan is open to a furnace room 11 separated from the tunnel, and with which the lower ends of the flues 5 communicate. A furnace 12, preferably of the type shown in my Patent llo. 1,422,416, dated July 11th, 1922, discharges` into this room, andan air intake 13, open to the atmosphereand provided with suitable gate ozrdamper means 14 is located in the roof of the furnace room, preferably just ahead of the inner end or vmouth of the furnace, so that the air being drawn through said intake by the suction of the fan will loe-immediately subjected to the heating .inuence of the furnace.

Positioned 'between eori'espondingv pairs of walls4 and 6 and extending from the top to a point short of the bottom thereof are hollow vertical partitions 15 of suitable width lhaving foramiiious walls to admit of a fiiee. passage of air therethrough, the perforations or openings in said walls not being large enough however to allow the passage of any produce being dried to pass therethrough. These partitions are spaced apart lengthwise of the walls, leaving a plurality of separate-d vertical compartments o-rl bins 16 therebetween, each of which isbounded by the walls 4 and 6 and by adjacent walls of adjacent partitions.

The bins, which receive the produce to` be dried at their upper ends, are freely open both at top and bottom, but the size of the opening at the lower end is regulated by means of transversely extending gates 17. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) There are preferably two such gates for each bin, and they are arranged to spread apart from each other with a downward movement. Various means may be employed for controlling the movement or setting of the gates. In the present instance I have shown a form of control or connecting structure between the gates by reason of which the width vof the opening between the gates will depend boit-h upon the weight of the produce inthebins and upon hand adjustment of said means. This structure comprises vertical arms 18 connected, outside thewalls 1, to the pivotal or hinge shafts 19 of the gates and depending downwardly therefrom. A tension spring 20 is attached-at one end to one of said arms an-d is provided at its other end with a threaded stem 21 which passes freely through lthe other arm and has an adjusting nut 22 ther-espring is tightened up, and loosened if a c rapid discharge is wanted or when the bin is becoming empty.

The tension of the spring however is sufficient to close the gates under any condition when the bin is entirely empty, thus preventing h ot air from being blown therethrough if the dehydratoi' is being koperated with only some of the bins in service.

This specific struct-ure however is not es,- sential, since the gates may be opened and closed by hand, or provided with counterweight, lever control or other means as may be found desirable. Positioned under each row of bins, that is between the corresponding walls 4 and 6 on each side of the central hot air flue 7, is an endless conveyor preferably of the belt type, driven by any suitable means so that the upper run of said lbelt trave-ls away from the furnace end of the dehydrator.

This belt extends beyond the deliydiator at the end opposite the furnace through an opening 24 in the adjacent end wall 2. Since there is also an opening 25 through the other wall 2 into the fuinace room in the plane of the conveyor, the suction of the fan will cause a blast of cool air to be drawn along the conveyor from outside the dehydratoir, thus cooling the nuts or other produce after they drop onto sai-d (,oiiveyoi after being subjected to the heated air within the bins.

Cut through the walls 6 at the top of the i flue 7 are vertical air passages 26 con'iniunieating with the different partitions 15 between the bins. Similarly disposed passages 27 are also cut through the walls 6 adjacent the lower ends of the partitions.

Gates or dainpers 28 are hinged to the ladjacent faces of the walls 6 above the passages 27, and extend the vfull length of the flue 7, being arranged to be moved to a vertical position to close said passages, Ior to a horizontal position to shut off the flue 7 and passages 26 from the inta-ke pit 8. It will thus be seen that the air from said pit may be caused to pass through the passages 2f while shutting it ofi' from passages 27, oi vice versa; or if desired some air may pass at the same time through both sets of passages, by suitably adjusting the dampers.

lio

Openings 29 are cut through the outerv rissa-ess the ground as may berequired, lby suitable means, astorinstance a pulley and cord arrangement as illustrated Openings of similarsizeand ,arrange mentare also cut through the walls l a `con- `and to enable this arrangement to be rcadihY had and reversed when desired` the alternate sets of dampers are connected in common to independentpulley and cord arrangements operable :from the ground, as shown at 36.

Similarly arranged vertical passages 37 are cut through` the walls l in ayertical plane preferably somewhat below that ot the outer-wall openings 32. Slidingldampers 38 control the passages 37.- these dempers being preferably disposed in alternate open and Aclosed positions as are'the dempers y The alternate` sets of. dempers are` thereforelikewise connected to common but independent cord and pulley control means as at 39.

In operation, before passing any hot air into the bins, the latter are filled from the top by any suitable means, and kept filled as long as, the supply ot nuts or thelike to be dried, holds out.

i that all the nuts etc. will be deflected thereinto the walls 4 and 6 above the bins have outwardly flaring extensions- 40. thereby forming a single hopper for each .set yof bins. The gate control means are adiusted to hold the discharge gates 17 closed for the time being. the passages 27 openedtand passages `26 shut ofi' and allV the passages are closed, while passages or outlets-B4 are alternately open andY closed. aspreyiously described. The outlets 29 and 3c may be opened-or not, depending on the condition of the air t as to humidity etc.) after it has passed through the bins. It the upper out lets 29 are open the moist air attori passing through the nuts and outlet (which are at the wet endet the bins) will for the most part pass out into the atmosphere through said outlets 29. It' the lower outlets 32 are open.; any moist air coming down the lfine 5 willbe deflected through said outlets by p the plates 33.

' `The- Jfurnace istlien started up until an air temperature of about 8G l?. has been imparted to theair in the furnace room The tan is than set in` op'erationa causing', this heated air to-be dischargedunder pressure into the pit 8,1froin which it will pass into the flue 7 and thence into the hollow. and perforated partitions 15 through the lower inta-lie passages 27. The air may notonly freely passiroin thepartitions into the bins but also through the nuts lill,ingtli(ehins, since the nuts are looseand theair canteasily circulate therebetween. The dryheated, air will thus act first on the lowest layers of the nuts and will circulate up to the tops oif the bins to reach the outlets Sil. its the a-ir rises it gathers n'ioistul'e, so that uhicn the outlets are reached.` the air has ot cours-einst considerable of its drying capacity. `as well as some o'fits heat. It will be noted that lido not depend 'for thie airicirculatimi upon the natural tendency of heated air to rise', but a positive and continuous circulationl is maintained by reason of, the pressure fan which is preferably ot large capacity so aste provide a heavy flow of air, and which blows the heated air through the bins andV draws said air bac-kt() the furnace room by reason of the suction ot the fan connected with fthe return flues lleading to said room and in which the intake of the fan is located.`

The hot air is passed into the binstlirough '7 the intakesQ/Z tor a certainV length of time. the furnace heilig gradually fired upiuntil the air in the 'furnaceroom reaches attemperature of about 110, which is about the maximum `used for drying nuts.

lVhen the lowest layers of thenuts are thoroughly dried, the dampers '28 are moved to shut ott the lower intakes 27l and allow the air in the flue 't' to pass to the uppenintakes 26. At the same time the bin gates 17 are permitted toopen to .let the .lowest and dried nuts fall onto the conveyor 23, which is then caused to travel at a. predetermined speed, sous to carry the. finished nuts out ot the dehydrator where they may be sacked or boiredas may be desired. The alternate ones of the lower outlets 37 are also opened.` The dry heated air, at its maximum temperature is thus fed into the `bins at about the center ot height thereof, causing the nuts to be quickly dried.y This heat however will not now cause ythe nuts to burn or be harmed in any way, since said nuts have been slowly moved down from the zone of the low temperature and humid air to the zone of air' which has the maximum temperature required and the lowest amount of humidity. which causes the nuts to dr' without damage, as they are already half dried, and. thus thoroughly prepared tot: theihigh temperature at the center of the drier.

Since certain oneso-:f both upper and lower outlets-34 and 3'1" i are newk open. the flow of airq due to the pressure froiu and the suctional inliuence of the fan. in the return lines lOl) 5, will be branched, some of the air circulat- V ing through the strata of nuts above the intakes 26, and some of it circulating through the strata of nuts below said intakes, but passing out through the outlets 37.

y By alternately closing andv opening the dampers 35 and 38 the air flow across the nuts in the bins is reversed.' Since the air cannot pass freely into'the flue 5 through certain of the passages 15, the back pressure caused from the pressure fan will force' the air through the nuts crosswise of the bins all the way from top to bottom thereof as well as iiowing up into passages l5 whose outlets are open, since the suction of the fan through said open passages will help pull the air through to the flue 5.

By reversing or changing the position of these dampers the air will be caused to flew the other way across the nuts and into the flue 5. By thus changing the directionof the air flow the time of drying is very much shortened, as every nut is acted on by the air.

As the nuts drop from the bins,thei rplace is taken by undried nuts with which the bins are kept filled from above, so that the nuts, in different stages of drying, will be gradually and evenly moved from the upper to the lower ends of the bins by gravity, thereby insuring that all the nuts are subjected to the same degree of drying and for the same length of time.

A structure with the same air control f `means as the above may also be of value in curing certain products which should be subjected to a humidifying rather than a drying procelss. In such cases, awater pipe 41 is provided which has a spray nozzle 42 at its inner end projecting into the furnace adjacent the mouth thereof so that a water spray issuing from the nozzle is turned into steam by the hot outcoming furnace'gases, which steam will be absorbed by the air in the 'furnace room and cause the same to be humidified, the degree to which this may be carried out depending on proper manipulation of the fresh air intake dampers and the volume lof water passed through the nozzle, regardless of temperature. y

` I have shown the dehydrator built double, or with duplicate sets of bins, conveyors, etc. with a common central hot air flue. It will be evident however that one set of bins and may be set at any transverse or longitudinal angle desired as long as the gravity feed of the produce in the bins is not interfered with.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that l have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

lVhile this specification sets forth in detail thel present andl preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what l claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l

l. A dehydrator including` a plurality of vertical bins arrange in parallel and spaced relation, and means for passing air through said bins frombottom to top thereof, and also alternately from a point centrally of the height thereof to both the upper and lower ends.

2. A dehydrator `including a plurality of vertical bins arranged in parallel and spaced relation, and means for passing air through said bins from a point on one side substantially centrally of the height thereof to the opposite side at both the upper and lower ends thereof. j

3. A dehydrator :including vertical and horizontally spacedhot air intake and return flues, vertical bins spaced longitudinally of the flues disposed therebetween and means for passing heated air vertically through the bins from the intake to the return flue.

el. A dehydrator including vertical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return flues, vertical bins spaced longitudinally of the flues disposed therebetween and means for passing heated air vertically through the bins from the intake at a point substantially half way up the bins to the return flue adjacent both the upper and lower ends of the bins.

5. A dehydrator including vertical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return flues, vertical bins spaced longitudinally of the flues disposed therebetween and means for passing heated air vertically through the bins from the intake at a. point substantially half way up the bins to the return flue adjacent bot-h the upper and lower ends of the bins, and alternately from the intake adjacent the lower end of the bins to the ret-urn flue adjacent the upper end of the bins.

6. A dehydrator including vertical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return flues, vertical bins spaced longitudi` nally of the flues disposed therebetween and means for passing heated air vertically through all the bins in common from the intake to the return Hue.

. 7. A dehydrator including a vertical and' horizontally spaced hot air intake and return flues respectively, vertical bins spaced longitudinally `ot, the. liues disposed therebetween and means for passing heated air vertically through the bins from the intake to the return line, Vand throughout the height and width of the bins.

8. A dehydrator including vertical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return fiues, vertical hollow partitions spaced longitudinally of the liues positioned therebetween the spacing between the partitions forming bins for the reception ot' the produce tobe dehydrated, and the partitions having oraminous walls, intake passages leading to the partit-ions from the intake flue, and outlet passages leading trom said 'p partitions to the return tine.

9. A dehydrator including vertical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return flues, vertical hollow partitions spaced longitudinally ofthe tlues positioned therebetween the spacing between the partitions forming bins for the reception of the produce to be dehydrated, and the partitions having foraminous walls, intake passages leading to the partitions from the intake Hue, said passages being in vertically spaced sets, outlet passages leading from the partitions to the return flue, and means whereby heated air may pass through either at a time of the sets of intake passages.

10. A dehydrator including vertical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return fiues, vertical hollow partitions spaced longitudinally of the lues positioned therebetween the spacing between the partitions forming bins for the reception of the produce to be dehydrated, and the partitions having oraminous walls, intake passages leading to the partitions 'from the intake tlue, said passages being in vertically spaced sets, outlet passages leading from the partitions to the return flue, and a common damper structure for both sides of intake passages arranged to close one set and open the other alternately, to prevent or 'allow of the passage of air therethrough from the intake flue. i

ll. A dehydrator including vertical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return flues, vertical hollow partitions spaced longitudinally of the flues positioned therebetween the spacing between the partitions `forming bins for the reception of the produce to be dehydrated, and the partitions having foraminous walls, intake passages leading to the partitions from the intake, flue, and vertically spaced sets ot outlet passages leading Jfrom the partitions to the return `flue.

l2. A dehydrator including vertical and horizont-ally spaced hot air intake and return fines, vert-ical hollow partitions spaced longitudinally of the tlues positioned therebetween, the spacing between the partitions forming bins `torthe reception ot the produce to be dehydrated,andthepartitions having toraminous walls, intake passages leading to the partitions from the intake flue, and vertically spaced sets of outlet passages leading from thepartitions tothe return liuc, and independently controlled damper means for said sets oit outlets.

13. A dehydrator including vert-ical and horizontally spaced hot air intake and return tlucs, vertical hollow partitions spaced longitudinally of the lues positioned therebetween, the spacing between the partitions forming bins for the reception of the produce to be dehydrated, and the partitions having oraminous walls, intake passages leading to the partitions from the intake liuc, outlet passages leading from the partitions to the return fiuc, and damper means 'for said passages adapted to `be set in alternate and reversible open and closed positions.

14. A dehydrator including a row of vertical bins arranged in parallel and spaced relation, means for passing air through the bins diagonally fromvbottom to top thereof both transversely and longitudinally of the row, and means whereby the direction of travel of the air longitudinally of the row may be reversed at will.

15. A dehydrator `including a row of vertical bins arranged in parallel and spaced relation, a common horizontal conveyor :tor all said bins positioned thereunder, and onto which the dried and heated produce from the bins passes, and means for cooling said produce while on the conveyor.

1G. A dehydrator including a row of vertical bins arranged in parallel and spaced relation, and a common horizontal conveyor for all said bins positioned thereunder, and onto which the dried and heated produce from the bins passes, side walls enclosing the conveyor, but open to the atmosphere at one end, a hot air room, and a suction fan whose intake connects with said room, the conveyor enclosure opening into said room at its end opposite to the first named open end, whereby with the operation of the fan aI draft of air from outside the dehydrator will be drawn along the conveyor.

17. A dehydrator including a drying chamber, a hot air room, an open mouthed furnace projecting into said room, and a water-spray nozzle projecting into the furnace adjacent the mouth thereof.

18. A dehydrator including a drying chamber, a hot air room, an open mouthed furnace projecting into said room, and means whereby the air in said room as it becomes heated may be caused to attain any desired degree of humidity.

19. A dehydrator including a bin to receive the produce to be dried, and means of the loin to both ends thereof.

20. A dehydrator including transversely spaced hot air intake and return llues, loins spaced longitudinally of the lues disposed therebetween, and means for passing heatefl air through the bins from the intake to the return flue.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

FRANK C. CHAPMAN. v Witness:

OLIVER L. CHAPMAN. 

